Cable-grip



5 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

B. R. GUERRA. CABLE GRIP; No. 433,123. Patented July 29,1890.

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(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

E. R. GUERRA.

. CABLE-GRIP. No. 433,123. Patented July 29, 1890.

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E. R. GUERRA.

CABLE GRIP.

Patented July 29, 1890.

WITNESSES INVENTOR in: mm; vzTsna 00., mm mm, wAsm No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.-

E. R. GUERRA.

CABLE GRIP No. 433,123. Patented July 29, 1890.

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(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 5.

E. R. GUERRA.

CABLE GRIP.

No. 433,123. Patented July 29, 1890.

INVENTOR.

WITNESSES:

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELIAS R. GUERRA, OF HACIENDA DE SAN MATIAS, JALISCO, MEXICO.

CABLE-GRIP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 433,123, dated. July 29, 1890. Application filed June 12, 1890. Serial No. 355,333. (No man To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELIAS R. GUERRA, of Hacienda de San Matias, State of Jalisco, Mexico, a citizen of the Republic of Mexico, and at present residing in the city of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cable-Grips, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a new and improved cablecar grip which is so constructed as to automatically open and swing clear of the cable when arriving at a crossing, and which without being detached from the car can be folded compactly against the car-bottom, so as to permit of moving the car over tracks not provided with cable conduits or slots, such as are, for example, provided in stations, shunting-yards, &c.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts and details, as will be fully described hereinafter, and finally pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side view of my improved cable-grip, parts being broken out. Fig. 2 is an end view of part of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view showing the grip applied and closed. Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the same opened. Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse sectional view showing the grip-frame folded as itis when removed from the conduit. Fig. 6 is an end view of one of the lining-plates for the jaws. Fig. 7 is a detail View of the central bar for operating the jaws and of the shafts on which the jaw-links are mounted, parts being in section and others omitted. Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view of parts of the grip in the positions they have when the grip is closed. Fig. 7 is a similar view showing the parts in the positions they have when the grip is opened. Fig. 7 is a side view of the main frame-bars, showing the wedge -shaped tracks and recesses for the jointed angle-latch. Fig. 8 is a longitudinal central sectional elevation through a conduit at a crossing, showing the devices in the conduit for operating the grip. Fig. 9 is a side view of a modification of the grip as adapted for two cables. Fig. 10 is an end view of the same, the cables being in section. Fig. 11 is a vertical transverse sectional view. Fig. 12 is an end "iew of one of the cable-gripping levers, and Fig. 13 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 13 13 of Fig. 9.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

From the bars A, forming part of the truck, two bars B project downward to within a short distance from the bed of the track between the rails. Between the upper ends of the bars B two hinge-blocks A are fixed to the bars A, and to their lower ends the two hingesections A are hinged by pintles. (Shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.) To the lower ends of the hinge-sections A the blocl;s,A are hinged by pintles, also shown in dotted lines. To the lower ends of the hinged blocks A the plates A" are fastened, the width or thickness of said plates A being such that they can pass through the slot to in the top of the cable-conduit. Locking-pins B can be passed through suitable apertures in the side bars B into apertures in the outer edges of the hinged sections A and A for the purpose of locking the same in vertical position between the side bars 1-3, as shown in Fig. 1.

\Vhen the grip is to be held folded in the raised position on the under side of the carbottom, the locking pins or bolts B are removed and the sections A and A are swung upward, so as to rest against each other, as

shown in Fig. 5. The upper locking pins or bolts B are inserted in the bars B, so that the inner ends of said locking-pins are below the bottom part of the folded grip, and thus hold the grip in the raised position. This provision for folding the grip is made to permit of keeping the grip above the surface when the car is being moved about different tracks in the stations. If this provision for folding the grip were not made, the grip would have to be detached from the car every time that the car had to be moved about, switched, or shunted in the station, and this would cause considerable delay and expense.

The inner edges of 'the hinge-blocks and hinge-sections A and A are a short distance from each other, so as to form a slot or opening in which a bar 0 can move vertically, said bar being provided at its upper end with a roller 0, over which a wire cable passes, that is also passed over pulleys 0 between the bars A. Said wire rope or cable 0 is used to operate the grip by means of a suitable lever or hand-wheel on the car in the usual manner. To the lower ends of the plates A the top of the grip-frame D is secured, to which grip-frame two levers D are pivoted to project in opposite directions lengthwise of the conduit. To the outer end of each lever D the upper end of a link D is pivoted, the lower end of each link D being pivoted to an elbow-lever D the lower end of which is provided with a fork D. parts of the shanks of the fork a suitable gripping-shoe D is fastened, said grippingshoe being provided on its bottom surface with a lining D of metal, preferably lead, copper, or any other metal that will not injure the cable. The shanks or prongs of the forks D are rounded, so as to avoid their cutting or bruising the cable when forcibly coming in contact with the same. From the frame D four guide-bars E project downward, and between the same the sliding block F is arranged, which is provided with a fixed shaft F, running transversely to the direction of the length of the conduit, a roller F being mounted on each end of the shaft. The sliding block F is also provided with lugs F Figs. 1, 7, and 7 projecting from the opposite sides of the block in the direction of the length of the conduit, said lugs being pivoted to the shorter arms of the elbow-levers D A plate G, guided vertically between the four frame-bars E, is arranged above the top of the block F, and is guided by a pin G, projecting upward from the top of the block F through said plate. A powerful helical spring H is secured to said plate G at its lower end, and its upper end is fastened to the bottom of the flared head 0 011 the lower end of the bar 0, above mentioned.

To each corner of the plate G a chain I is fastened. The two chains at each end of the plate G have their lower ends connected with the outer ends of the two shanks of a jointed elbow-latch J, the inner ends of which shanks are pivoted to each other, the outer ends of the shanks of said latch being adapted to slide in vertical grooves E in theinner edges of the guide-bars E, in the bottoms of which grooves wedge-shaped tracks I are formed. At the lower end of each wedge-shaped track I a recess 1 is formed in the inner edge of each guide-bar E, the tops of said recesses being horizontal and the bottoms rounded, as shown in detail in Figs. 7, 7 and 7. The bar F is provided a short distance from its lower end with two curved notches or recesses K in opposite slides, and that part F of the bar F below the notches K is of less thickness than the part above the notches. In the lower parts of the vertical bars E the two shafts L are mounted to turn, and are each provided with a cam-arm L, the free end of which rests against the sides of the thinner part F of'the bar F. Each shaft L is provided at each end with a fixed arm L pivoted at its free end to the upper end of an arm M of a jaw M, which jaws are provided at their lower Between the upper ends with flanges M projecting toward each other, said flanges being so arranged as to interlockthat is to say, when the jaws are closed the flange M of one jaw M extends over and rests upon the flange M of the other jaw M, as shown in Fig.3. The upper flange M is provided with a lining M of lead or copper to protect the cable from injury. The said flanges are of much greater length than the jaws, as shown in Fig. 1that is, they extend the entire distance between the two forks D as they co-operate with the shoes D held between the forks D to grip and hold the cable.

The conduit N (shown in Fig. 8) is provided in its top plate N with the usual longitudi-' nal slot at. A short distance at each side of the crossing conduit N hinged plates 0 are mounted'in the conduit at each side to hang vertically, and between each plate 0 and the crossing a track-plate O is hinged, which can rest upon a suitable support 0 or when in raised position can rest against a stop-pin O projecting from the side of the conduit.

WVhen a car running in the direction of the arrow 00, Fig. 8, arrives at the plates 0, hanging vertically at the left of the crossing, Fig. 8, the rollers F on the ends of the shaft F strike against the outer edges of said vertically-hanging plates 0 and swing them into the position shown in Fig. 8 on the lefthand side. The left-hand ends of the plates 0 prevent the plates 0 from being swung upward any farther, and as the car proceeds to move in the direction of the arrow 00 the bottom edges-of said plates 0 force the rollers F and with them the bar F, downward, whereby the grip is opened, in a manner which will be described hereinafter.

The dotted circles at the left-hand side of Fig. 8 show the different positions of the rollers F while running along the bottoms of the plates 0. The rollers F strike the bottoms of the plates Oand swing the same upward until they rest against the check-pins O and run along the bottom edges of said plates 0, as indicated by the dotted circles. WVhen the crossing conduit has been passed,

the rollers F run upon the top edges of the plates Oat the right of the crossing conduit, 8, which plates are in inclined position and run up the same, whereby said rollers F and the shaft F are raised and the grip applied in a manner that will be described hereinafter. The rollers F strike the verticallyhanging track-plates O at the right of the crossing conduit, swing the same up out of their way, and pass the same, and so on until the next crossing'is reached.

When the bar F is moved downward by the action of the guide-plates O O in the conduit, the lugs F on the bar F swing the gripping-levers D into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, thus lifting the forked ends of the levers D so high that they can clear and pass over the crossing cable. The shaft F presses on the hinge-joints of the jointed angle-latches J and forces the same downward, whereby the plate G is pulled downward by the chains I and the spring G is lengthened. The bar Cis not forced downward, as its cross-pin C rests on the upper edges of the inner ends of the levers D,which prevents downward movement of said bar C. As the jointed angle latches J are forced downward, the wedge-shaped tracks I force their free ends toward each other until the lower ends of said wedge-shaped tracks I are reached, when, by the action of the shaft F 011 the joints of said jointed angle-latches, the two shanks are straightened out,as shown in Fig. 7 and pass into the recesses 1 thus locking the bar Fin the lowered position and locking the other members or parts of the grip in the positions that they have when said barFis in the lowered position. As the bar F moves downward, the cam-arms L of the shaft L pass into the notches K, and, striking against the upper ends of said notches K, are forced downward, whereby the shafts L are turned in the direction of the arrows 01: Fig. 7 Thereby the arms L are swung outward or from each other, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 7. As the upper ends of the arms M of the grippingjaws M are pivotally connected with the free ends of said arms L and as the gripping-jaws are pivoted to each other at M, it follows that by the turning of the shafts L in the direction of the arrows x the pivot M of the jaws M is raised vertically and the jaws swing from each other, as shown in Fig. 4. Thereby the cable is released entirely and the jaws raised sohigh as to be out of the way of the crossin g cable. After the crossing has been passed and the rollers F of the shaft F begin to run up the inclined track-plates O the bar F is raised, and by the action of the part F of said bar F on the cam-arms L the shafts L are turned in the inverse directions of the arrows x Fig. 7, and the jaws M swung to- -ward each other, so as to embrace the cable.

As the shaft F moves upward and the pressure is removed from the joints of the jointed angle-latches J, the contracting spring G draws the plate G upward, and by means of the chains I the hinged elbow-latches J are raised and the free ends of their shanks drawn out of the recesses J As the lugs F form part of the bar F and are moved upward by it, they swing the elbow-levers D from the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 to the position shown in full lines, and thereby the shoes D are pressed upon the cable and press said cable against the linings M of the gripping-jaws, whereby the cable is held securely, so as to propel the car. The elbow-levers D and the jaws M need only be swung clear away from each other to release the cable entirely when a crossing is reached and need not be swung clear from each other for merely stopping the car.

To stop the car at any desired point, the wire rope C is released by the train-man, thus permitting the spring G to pull downward the bar 0. The cross-pin C on said bar 0 is thereby pressed on the inner ends of the levers D, which are forced downward slightly and their outer ends are raised, whereby the angle-levers D are raised slightly and the shoes D moved from the cable sutficiently to release the same. The movement required to release the cable in this way need be but very slight. To tighten the grip on the cable when the car is to be started, the wire rope C is pulled taut, whereby the rod 0 is pulled upward, and its flared head C acting on the inner ends of the levers D pulls the same upward, whereby their outer ends are forced downward, and, acting on the elbow-levers D force said elbow-levers downward and press the shoes 1D firmly against the cable at.

Figs. 9 to 13 show a grip for two cables. The arrangement of the gripping-leversD?1s practically the same as shown in Fig. 1, with the exception that the fork is made double and has three prongs. The bar F is shortened and its upper end is connected directly with the lower end of the spring G,the upper end of said spring being fastened to the bar C, which is also shortened in this case, but is combined with the wire rope C and levers D in the manner previously described. The lower end of the bar F is connected by a short wire rope R with levers S, pivoted to the plates T on the grip-frame, the free ends of said levers carrying a roller S, upon which a suitable incline in the conduit can act, so that before a crossing is reached said roller S runs up the incline and is raised, whereby the 0pposite ends of the levers S, connected with the wire rope R, are lowered, and whereby the bar F is pulled downward, and acting on the levers D swings the same outward and upward, and acting 011 the cam-arms L of the shafts L forces them downward and turns the shafts L in such a manner as to swing the three arms U, secured to the same, outward and upward laterally. The three arms U are connected at their lower ends by a bar U, carrying a roller U upon which the cable 'm rests. As shown in Fig. 10, a roller U is provided for each cable.

To release the car from the cable when it is to be stopped, it is only necessary to release the rope C when the contracting spring G draws the rod 0 downward, causing the pin C to act on the inner ends of the levers 1), whereby the levers D are swung outward slightly, sufiiciently to remove the shoes D from the cable. To tighten the grip on the cable it is only necessary to draw the rope C taut, whereby the bar C is pulled upward and its flared head 0 acting on the inner ends of the levers D, pulls said inner ends upward, whereby the outer ends are forced downward and the shoes I) pressed upon the ,cables m.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a cable-grip, the combination, with a frame, of a vertical]y-movable bar, grippinglevers mounted to swing in the direction of the length of the cable, and gripping-jaws mounted to swing transversely to the length of the cable, said gripping levers and jaws being operated from the vertically-movable bar, substantially as set forth.

2. In a cable-grip, the combination, with a frame, of a vertically-movable bar having a transverse shaft carrying rollers, upon which inclines in the conduit can act, cable-gripping levers mounted to swing in the direction of the length of the conduit, and cable-gripping jaws mounted to swing transversely to the length of the conduit, which gripping levers and jaws are operated by said vertically-movable bar, substantially as set forth.

3. 'In a cable-grip, the combination, with a frame, of a vertically-movable bar, cablegripping levers mounted to swing in the direction of the length of the conduit, cablegripping levers mounted to swing transversely to the length of the conduit, which gripping levers or jaws are operated by said verticallymovable bar, a rod held above the bar, a rope connected with said bar, and a spiral spring connected with the lower end of said rod, substantially as set forth.

4. In a cable-grip, the combination, with a frame, of a vertically-movable bar in the same, a transverse shaft on said bar, a plate on the bar, a spring connected with said plate, jointed angle-latches, chains suspending the jointed angle-latches from said plate, and a rod above said plate, with the lower end of which rod said spring is connected, the guides for the vertically-movable bar being provided wit-h grooves and wedge-shaped tracks for the free ends of the jointed anglelatches, substantially as set forth.

5. I11 a cable-grip, the combination, with a frame, of a vertically-movable bar having notches in its sides, shafts in the frame, cam

projections on said shafts resting against the vertically-movable bar, arms on said shafts,

and jaws pivoted to each other and having extensions which are pivoted to the arms of the above-mentioned shafts, substantially as set forth.

6. In a cable-grip, the combination, with a frame, of a vertically-sliding bar, jaws mou nted to swing transversely to the length of the cable and serving-to support the cable, levers mounted to swing parallel with the length of the cable, and forks on the lower ends of said levers, substantially as set forth.

7. In a cable-grip, the combination, with a frame, of a vertically-slidin g bar, jaws mo unted to swing transversely to the length of the cable and serving to support the cable,levers mounted to swing parallel with the length of the cable, forks on the lower ends of said levers, and shoes fastened in said forks, substantially as set forth.

8. In a cable-grip, the combination, with a frame, of a verticall y-slidin g bar, a latch operated by said bar and serving for locking said bar and the parts connected therewith inthe lowered position, gripping-jaws mounted to swing transversely to the conduit and operated from said bar, and gripping-levers mounted to swing parallel with the length of the conduit and also operated by the vertically-movable bar, substantially as set forth.

9. In a cable-grip, the combination, with a frame, of the rod 0, having the flared head 0 at the lower end and a cross-pin 0 above said flared head, the pivoted levers D, having their inner ends resting against said flared head and below the cross-pin, the links D the vertically-sliding bar F in the frame, the angle-levers D pivoted to said bar F and to the links D gripping-shoes on said levers D and laterally-swinging gripping-jaws also operated by said bar F and serving to support the cable, substantially as set forth.

10. In a cable-grip, the combination, with a frame, of the bars E, having the longitudinal grooves E the wedge-shaped tracks I, recesses I below the wedge-shaped tracks, the vertically-sliding bar F, the shaft F on the same, the plate G above said bar, the spring H, connected with said plate, the rod C,with which the upper end of the spring is connected, the jointed angle-latches J, slidingin the grooves E the chains I, connecting said an gle-latches with the plate G, and cablegripping devices operated by the bar F, substantially as set forth.

11. The combinationof the hinged plates 0 and O and the supports 0 stops 0 in a cable-conduit, a grip-frame having a vertically-sliding bar, a transverse shaft in said bar, rollers on said shaft, upon which rollers the plates 0 and O can act, and cable-gripping devices operated by said vertically-movable bar, substantially as set forth.

'12. In a cable-grip, the combination, with the bars B, of the jointed sections A, A and A the pins or bolts B, and cable-gripping mechanismsupport-ed from said hinged sections, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ELIAS R. GUERRA.

Witnesses:

OsoAR F. GUNZ, W. REIMHERR. 

